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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. clip — a video
  5. stem — to come from
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. fork — in a road
  8. root — of a word
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. clip — to cut
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. deal — to handle
  14. bank — of a river
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. root — of a plant
  21. bank — for money
  22. clip — for paper
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. root — the cause

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com